Sam Kean, author of "Dinner with King Tut: Adventures in Experimental Archaeology," deliberately applied ancient Egyptian mummification techniques to a modern human corpse. The project generated strong reactions from observers, with some calling it horrifying, according to Kean's own account.
Kean documented his experimental archaeology work in the book, which details his attempts to recreate historical processes using contemporary human remains. He obtained proper permissions for the body and worked within ethical frameworks, though the visual and conceptual nature of the work provoked discomfort.
The author emphasized the experimental reality of the process. "A lot of the book was actually me floundering around, failing to complete the projects or figuring out what I was doing wrong," Kean explained. Rather than presenting a polished success story, he revealed the messy trial-and-error nature of attempting to authentically reproduce ancient Egyptian preservation methods on modern tissue.
The project required Kean to research historical mummification practices in detail, then translate ancient techniques into modern contexts. He encountered unexpected challenges throughout, discovering that contemporary anatomical conditions and material properties sometimes behaved differently than they did in ancient specimens. These failures proved as instructive as successes.
Experimental archaeology bridges academic knowledge and hands-on experience. By physically attempting historical processes, researchers gain insights impossible through textual study alone. Kean's work illuminates what ancient embalmers actually knew and faced during their technical operations.
The emotional response to the project reflects ongoing tensions around how modern society treats human remains, particularly in cross-cultural contexts. While medical schools routinely use cadavers for anatomical education, applying historical preservation techniques provokes different reactions. Kean's willingness to document both his failures and the discomfort his work generated demonstrates how experimental archaeology challenges assumptions about death, preservation, and scientific inquiry itself.